Budgets Committee MEPs demanded an EU budget for 2019 capable of tackling the numerous challenges that the EU continues to face, in a vote on Tuesday.

MEPs’ priorities for next year’s budget are “sustainable growth, innovation, competitiveness, security, tackling the root causes of refugee and migration flows, managing refugee and migration flows, the fight against climate change and the transition to sustainable energy, and a particular focus on young people.”

They “fail to understand” the reasoning behind the cuts proposed by the Council to the European Commission’s draft budget, especially those to the research and infrastructure programmes, which are “the very programmes designed to make the EU economy more competitive and innovative.” Budgets Committee MEPs thus decided to restore all those cuts, with limited exceptions.

In addition, MEPs intend to particularly boost programmes supporting the young, with significant increases to Erasmus+ and the Youth Employment Initiative. Further major top-ups to the Commission’s 2019 draft budget that MEPs want to push through during upcoming negotiations with the Council concern research and infrastructure programmes and those tackling migration.

Members of the Budgets Committee on Tuesday voted on a motion for a resolution by co-rapporteurs Daniele Viotti (S&D, IT) and Paul Rübig (EPP, AT) concerning the EU draft budget 2019, almost two weeks after the corresponding vote on the figures. The resolution was adopted by 27 votes to 5, with 2 abstentions.

The plenary vote will kick off three weeks of “conciliation” talks with the Council, with the aim of reaching a deal between the two institutions in time for next year’s budget to be voted on by Parliament and signed by its President on 29 November.